Asia & Pacific

French Carrier Strike Group Visits Philippines, Holds Joint Combat Drills in Disputed Sea

‘We aim to deepen our cooperation with regional partners,’ French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel said.
French Carrier Strike Group Visits Philippines, Holds Joint Combat Drills in Disputed Sea
French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel (2nd R) speaks as Captain Georges-Antoine Florentin (2nd L), commander of French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard (R), commander of French Carrier Strike Group, and Captain Guillaume Denis (L), commander of French Carrier Air Wing, attend a press conference aboard the Charles de Gaulle docked at the former U.S. naval base in Subic Bay in Zambales Province, Philippines, on Feb. 23, 2025. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
|Updated:
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France’s carrier strike group was in the Philippines on Feb. 23 after holding exercises with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tension in the region as the Chinese regime has become increasingly aggressive toward its neighbors.

The French strike group, led by nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, docked on Feb. 21 at Subic Bay, which faces the South China Sea, for a break after two and a half months of deployment in the Indo–Pacific region. According to French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel, it marked the aircraft carrier’s first-ever port call in Subic Bay and the Philippines.
Frank Fang
Frank Fang
Reporter
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based reporter. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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